this seems to be a day for odd questions from somewhere deep in the
interior of my skull but I was wondering after reading this newsgroup for
some time if there are any well-known, or even lesser-known, white water
kayak paddlers who have died in their sleep. what would be the "in action"
mortaltity rate compared to, say, test pilots and salvage divers, neither
of these two being recreational activites people pay money to do instead
of earning money doing.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

I(*n the UK which has the lowest fatality per mile driven on the roads
rate in the significant countries of the world it is far more likely
that you will kill yourself driving to the river than on the river.

Mind you, you could look at it this way

Grade 6 is the most dangerous but more people drown on grade 1 water so
paddle grade 6.
More people die driving to the river than paddling on the river so stay
at home
Most accidents happen at home so stay in bed.
Statistically lying in bed is by far the most dangerous thing you can do
as the majority of people die in bed!

In message , William R. Watt
writes

this seems to be a day for odd questions from somewhere deep in the
interior of my skull but I was wondering after reading this newsgroup for
some time if there are any well-known, or even lesser-known, white water
kayak paddlers who have died in their sleep. what would be the "in action"
mortaltity rate compared to, say, test pilots and salvage divers, neither
of these two being recreational activites people pay money to do instead
of earning money doing.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

--
Dave Manby
Details of the Coruh river and my book "Many Rivers To Run" at
http://www.dmanby.demon.co.uk

in article , Dave Manby at
wrote on 8/10/04 4:31 AM:

I(*n the UK which has the lowest fatality per mile driven on the roads
rate in the significant countries of the world it is far more likely
that you will kill yourself driving to the river than on the river.

Mind you, you could look at it this way

Grade 6 is the most dangerous but more people drown on grade 1 water so
paddle grade 6.
More people die driving to the river than paddling on the river so stay
at home
Most accidents happen at home so stay in bed.
Statistically lying in bed is by far the most dangerous thing you can do
as the majority of people die in bed!

I think perhaps "cause of death" and "location of death" are getting
confused here!

In message , William R. Watt
writes

this seems to be a day for odd questions from somewhere deep in the
interior of my skull but I was wondering after reading this newsgroup for
some time if there are any well-known, or even lesser-known, white water
kayak paddlers who have died in their sleep. what would be the "in action"
mortaltity rate compared to, say, test pilots and salvage divers, neither
of these two being recreational activites people pay money to do instead
of earning money doing.

--

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

"Keenan Wellar" wrote in message
...
in article , Dave Manby at
wrote on 8/10/04 4:31 AM:

Statistically lying in bed is by far the most dangerous thing you can do
as the majority of people die in bed!

I think perhaps "cause of death" and "location of death" are getting
confused here!

His point exactly, gaving a very good example of how faulty cause-and-effect
reasoning can lead to invalid conclusions.

"Don Freeman" ) writes:
"Keenan Wellar" wrote in message
...
in article , Dave Manby at
wrote on 8/10/04 4:31 AM:

Statistically lying in bed is by far the most dangerous thing you can do
as the majority of people die in bed!

I think perhaps "cause of death" and "location of death" are getting
confused here!

His point exactly, gaving a very good example of how faulty cause-and-effect
reasoning can lead to invalid conclusions.

Are we speculating that the statistics on paddling deaths are actually
statistics on in-kayak cardiac arrests, strokes, aneruisms, chokings, and
drug overdoses?

There's a subject line I'd like to see in this newsgroup. Kayaker dies of drug
overdose in Big Hole on Middle Fork of Upper Zi****ippi.


--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...
Are we speculating that the statistics on paddling deaths are actually
statistics on in-kayak cardiac arrests, strokes, aneruisms, chokings, and
drug overdoses?

You forgot mutilations by alien UFOs.

One often hears statistics such as death rates from scuba diving being
approximately equal to mowing lawns. Are these statistics based on the
population that regularly engages in these activities or the total
population?

Obviously if one does not scuba dive their risk of dying from this
activity is zero. So using the total population to calculate the death
rate for activities practiced by a very small proportion of the
population would depress those rates tremendously.




"Don Freeman" wrote in message ...
"Keenan Wellar" wrote in message
...
in article , Dave Manby at
wrote on 8/10/04 4:31 AM:

Statistically lying in bed is by far the most dangerous thing you can do
as the majority of people die in bed!

I think perhaps "cause of death" and "location of death" are getting
confused here!

His point exactly, gaving a very good example of how faulty cause-and-effect
reasoning can lead to invalid conclusions.

One often hears statistics such as deaths from scuba diving being
approximately equal to mowing lawns. Are these statistics based on the
population that regularly engages in these activities or the total
population?

Obviously if one does not scuba dive their risk of dying from this
activity is zero. So using the total population to calculate the death
rate for activities practiced by a very small proportion of the
population would depress those rates tremendously.



"Don Freeman" wrote in message ...
"Keenan Wellar" wrote in message
...
in article , Dave Manby at
wrote on 8/10/04 4:31 AM:

Statistically lying in bed is by far the most dangerous thing you can do
as the majority of people die in bed!

I think perhaps "cause of death" and "location of death" are getting
confused here!

His point exactly, gaving a very good example of how faulty cause-and-effect
reasoning can lead to invalid conclusions.

"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...

"Don Freeman" ) writes:
"Keenan Wellar" wrote in message
...
in article , Dave Manby at
wrote on 8/10/04 4:31 AM:

Statistically lying in bed is by far the most dangerous thing you can
do
as the majority of people die in bed!

I think perhaps "cause of death" and "location of death" are getting
confused here!

His point exactly, gaving a very good example of how faulty
cause-and-effect
reasoning can lead to invalid conclusions.

Are we speculating that the statistics on paddling deaths are actually
statistics on in-kayak cardiac arrests, strokes, aneruisms, chokings, and
drug overdoses?

There's a subject line I'd like to see in this newsgroup. Kayaker dies of
drug
overdose in Big Hole on Middle Fork of Upper Zi****ippi.

I believe there was a fella in this area who had a heart attack while in his
kayak...

"Alex Horvath" wrote in message
om...
One often hears statistics such as deaths from scuba diving being
approximately equal to mowing lawns. Are these statistics based on the
population that regularly engages in these activities or the total
population?

If the person making the comparison didn't qualify the quoted statistic, and
cite the source, it is pretty much meaningless. Most of what you hear
otherwise may even qualify as urban legends.

IE: donkeys more dangerous then airplanes:
http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/donkey.htm